Combined unit for cooking, heating and/or gratinating food

ABSTRACT

A combined unit for cooking, heating and/or gratinating food comprises a support member (12) on which rests a pair of vertically spaced plates (20, 26). The lower plate (20) is adapted to receive food to be gratinated while the upper plate (26) is adapted to receive food to be cooked and/or heated. The unit comprises means (36) for deflecting heat over the food on the lower plate and under the upper plate to cook and/or heat thereon.

The present invention relates to a combined unit for cooking, heatingand/or gratinating food.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact unit whichcan be used as a hot plate, a fondue recipient or to receive a dish,usually known as "raclette", wherein food is placed in small pans withthin slices of cheese placed thereon and wherein heat thereovergratinates the cheese.

The present invention relates to a combined unit for cooking, heatingand/or gratinating food which comprises:

a support member;

a first plate supported on the member and adapted to receive thereonfood to be gratinated;

a second plate supported on the member and mounted above the firstplate, and being adapted to receive thereon food to be cooked and/orheated; and

means providing heat between the first plate and the second plate forcooking and or heating food on the second plate and for gratinating foodon the first plate.

In one preferred form of the invention, the heat between the two platesconsists of flames which are deflected by a third plate situated betweenthe first and second plates, the flames being deflected over the lowerplate and then directed under the upper plate.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the flames originate from aheat source located beneath the lower plate, the latter being providedwith a chimney-like construction so that the flames may pass through thechimney to contact and be deflected by the intermediate third plate.

Other objects and further scope of applicability of the presentinvention will become apparent from the detailed description givenhereinafter. It should be understood, however, that this detaileddescription, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, isgiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a combined unit made in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing the various components of thecombined unit; and

FIG. 3 is an elevation cross-sectional view of the combined unit.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a combined unit, generallydenoted 10, for cooking, heating and/or gratinating food. The combinedunit comprises a support member 12 having a bottom wall 14 on whichrests a burner 16 which may be alcohol based. The member has an invertedfrusto-conical shape with an internal intermediate circumferentialshoulder 18 on which rests the circumferential edge of a first plate 20.Support member 12 displays an upper circumferential edge 22 on whichrests the circumferential inverted U-shaped edge 24 of an upper plate26.

The first plate 20 has a central cylindrically shaped upper projection28 defining a chimney. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the chimney is locatedcoaxially with a circular central opening 30 of the burner 16 so thatthe flames 32 may pass therethrough.

Tightly contained within the chimney-like element 28 is a plurality oflegs 34 (preferably three) fixedly secured to a deflecting plate 36,preferably having a conically shaped central portion 38 so that theflames move upward, they are deflected radially beneath the plate 36.

On plate 20, is disposed a series of food receiving pans 40 which areinserted laterally through appropriate openings 42 in the sidewall ofthe support member 12.

The upper plate 26 comprises, adjacent edge 24, an annular concavity 44which is used to receive fondues, cooking oils, sauces or the like. Thecentral portion 46 of the upper plate includes a convex upper surface 48which acts as a hot plate for cooking or heating food.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the burner 16 is lit, flames 32 moving upwardthrough the chimney 28, contact the conical portion 38 of theintermediate plate 36 and more radially over the food in the pans 40.Then, the flames continue upwardly under the surface 48 and around theconcave recess 44.

Although the invention has been described above in relation to onespecific form, it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that itmay be modified and refined in various ways. For example, the heatingmeans could be constructed differently, such as an electrical element sodisposed between the upper and lower plates as to direct heat over thefood to be gratinated on the lower plate and then under the upper plateon which food will be cooked and/or heated. It is therefore wished tohave it understood that the present invention should not be limited ininterpretation, except by the terms of the following claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. A combined unit forcooking, heating and/or gratinating food, comprising:a support member;flame heating means mounted at a bottom of said support member; a firstplate supported on said support member, and disposed above said flameheating means, said first plate having a projection extending from acentral portion thereof to define a passage means therein allowingflames from said heating means to pass through said passage means ofsaid first plate; a circular flame deflecting plate mounted above saidprojection extending from said first plate, said circular flamedeflecting plate being seperated from said projection by a leg extendingfrom said circular flame deflecting plate and connected to saidprojection; and a second plate supported on said support member abovesaid circular flame deflecting plate, wherein flames passing throughsaid passage means of said projection are deflected by said circulardeflecting plate and directed over said first plate for gratinating fooddishes disposed on said first plate, and the flames are further directedunder said second plate for cooking and/or heating food on said secondplate.
 2. A combined unit as defined in claim 1, wherein said secondplate is circular in shape and includes a convex central portion forreceiving food to be cooked and an annular peripheral concave portion toheat food placed therein.
 3. A combined unit as defined in claim 2,wherein said second plate has a circumferential edge resting on acircumferential edge of said support member.
 4. A combined unit asdefined in claim 1, wherein said flame heating means consists of analcohol based fuel burner.
 5. A combined unit as defined in claim 4,further comprising a third plate at the bottom of said support member toreceive thereon said flame heating means.
 6. A combined unit as definedin claim 1, wherein said support member has an inverted frustoconicalshape, a side wall of which includes circumferentially spaced openingsallowing individual food-containing pans to be inserted and placed onsaid first plate whereby flames circulating thereover gratinate food insaid pans.
 7. A combined unit as defined in claim 1, wherein saidcircular flame deflecting plate has an inverted conical shaped centralarea.